"The question of who provides education needs to be addressed"

According to the UN, 258 million children around the world do not go to school and 617 million people have no literacy or maths skills. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an additional problem: at its peak, more than 1.5 billion children were kept out of school by nationwide closures. Conflict, forced displacement and migration are also on the rise, denying the younger generation access to a better future – around two thirds of refugee children do not complete compulsory education. The annual UNESCO GEM Report is the key mechanism for monitoring progress and setbacks relating to the 2030 Agenda's ten education targets.

The GEM Report: an insight into where we stand

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of the 2030 Agenda calls on us to ensure access to inclusive and equitable high-quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. "The GEM report contains data and recommendations that influence education authorities on the ground as well as actors in international cooperation," says Basilio Ghisletta, education adviser at the SDC.

Basilio Ghisletta answers three questions to give a deeper insight into the topic:

Mr Ghisletta, what is the significance of this report?

The SDC views this report as highly significant. It is an important and well-researched global resource that highlights trends, progress and setbacks in education – insights that can then be used to Caption implement measures. The GEM report contains data and recommendations that influence education authorities on the ground as well as actors in international cooperation. The 2019 GEM report focusing on migration, displacement and education, for example, led the SDC to focus its programmes more strongly on the education of migrant and refugee children.

The UNESCO GEM Report 2021/22 focuses on the role of non-state actors. What conclusions does the report reach, and how do they align with the SDC's experience?

The report indicates that non-state actors play a key role in implementing the right to education. Many people would have no access to education and training, adult education or early years education if non-state actors did not provide such services. They are also involved in the provision of resources such as schoolbooks, computers and software.

But there are drawbacks too: non-state actors might fail to operate within regulatory frameworks or equal opportunities might be jeopardised. In some countries, for example, fee-paying private schools infiltrate the public system and undermine the fundamental right to education. This can lead to high-quality education only being available to those who can afford it, which is why SDG 4 on education and the GEM report explicitly state that compulsory schooling in particular – i.e. a year of preschool and 12 years of primary and secondary school – must be free of charge. But 'publicly funded' doesn't always have to mean 'publicly provided', so long as equal opportunities can be safeguarded. The SDC shares this approach.

What are the expectations for the report's publishing event?

Firstly it's an opportunity to learn where we stand on the education goal, to determine what we've achieved, and to decide what we should pay closer attention to both in international cooperation and within Switzerland. Secondly it's an opportunity to exchange ideas and talk about a subject that's hotly debated at the moment: the role of non-state actors – particularly those in the private sector – with regard to development cooperation on education.

The influence of these actors is increasing and new opportunities for public-private collaborations are emerging. Everyone shares the objective of providing high-quality education for all, but questions must be asked regarding who should provide it, who should be involved, and how it is regulated. We will be discussing precisely these kinds of questions at the event.

In its projects the SDC works with education authorities as well as non-state actors such as NGOs, foundations and the private sector. This can be done through innovative funding models that aim to promote the right to education, support the provision of education services for vulnerable groups, or test out new approaches. The goal is always to safeguard equal opportunities based on the principle 'leave no one behind'.

Collaboration with the private sector is especially important in vocational skills development, where curriculums need to align with the needs of the business world and prepare young people for the labour market in a targeted manner. This is illustrated by an SDC vocational skills development project in Ukraine.

Geberit (a Swiss sanitary facilities company), the Ukrainian Ministry of Education, and the NGO Swisscontact have successfully developed and implemented a practical training programme for prospective sanitary specialists. Since the project began in 2014, the new curriculum has been introduced in vocational schools across the country. The vocational training programme has been successfully completed by more than 1,000 young people, the vast majority of whom were able to join the local employment market.

Partnerships with private-sector actors are becoming more important in basic education too. In a recent example of this, the SDC and the Jacobs Foundation worked with Roots of Impact and iGravity on the launch of a pilot project on impact-linked financing in education. The project supports non-traditional stakeholders in implementing innovative educational approaches that aim to promote equitable basic education and improve learning outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.